Living Through Tragedy When There Are No Answers

I find myself again writing the most difficult of posts. Three years ago it was about one of my high school students who chose to take her own life. This time tragedy struck in our church youth group as on Tuesday we lost a 16-year old girl to the most unlikely of things for someone so young – cardiac arrest.

Her name was Elizabeth and she was a sweet, sweet girl. She was so pleasant to be around. Smiles adorned her face at every turn. And such a committed follower of Jesus.

So young…so healthy…so just getting started on life.

And then she was gone in a heartbeat.

You can read the account as shared by her mother on her Facebook page. As a parent it will make you want to hold your kids tight and cherish the moment. I sure did when my wife and I returned from the hospital.

The toughest part about being with the family at the hospital and helping them work through the funeral arrangements this week was that there are no answers. There are no answers to the “Why did this happen?” question. There are no answers to the “What happened (physically)?” question. There are no answers really at all to how this happened to a perfectly healthy young girl.

And because there aren’t it intensifies the hurt.

Maybe those answers will come one day but right now they are missing. And it’s really just left our entire church and all who know the family in fog. An answer starts you on the path to some closure. The absence of one makes the event linger in your mind.

How do you live through a tragedy when there are no answers? I really don’t know. What I would have to offer as advice would be shallow and simply a guess. Only those who’ve dealt with that are capable of giving an accurate picture of what it’s like.

One thing I do know for sure though is that you need help. You need help from family. You need help from friends. You need help from professionals like pastors and counselors who can lend an ear and offer perspective.

And you need help from God who is the author of answers and the only place to turn when there are no answers forthcoming from human minds.

Sunday night, the day after Elizabeth’s funeral, we held youth group at my house. It was tough because one of our members was missing but she was still on everyone’s mind. So as 40 of us sat and talked around a small campfire, I asked the question, “What have you learned this week?”

“Time is short,” said one.

Another shared, “Nothing is guaranteed. We have to make the most of the time we’ve been given.”

And then this, “We need each other. It’s been nice to see everyone pull together to help people in pain.”

By the time we walked away from our campfire gathering, that seemed to be the overwhelming sense of what our youth group came to terms with. That when there are no answers or when you are just dealing with junk in your life, you have to reach out and hold on to those dearest to you, whomever that may be.

If you have a moment today, lift up a short prayer for Elizabeth’s family. Pray they will find some answers to their questions. And pray that God’s strength and compassion will follow them for many days to come.

Questions: Have you ever dealt with a tragedy where there were no answers? How did you get through it? What’s the best thing a friend or family member has done for you when you were hurting? Are you making the most of the life you’ve been given? If not, how could you turn that around?

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For my day job, I'm a high school government and economics teacher and school counselor at a private Christian school. In my off hours, I love collecting baseball cards, running my rental real estate properties, going on vacations with my four kids and hearing my wife talk about all the cool things CPAs do at work. You can connect with me on Facebook,Twitter and Google+.

Extend my condolences to her family. We really need to help each other especially in this situation. Giving words of encouragement can lighten up those hard feelings. Thanks for reminding us about this simple act.Jayson recently posted…Potty Training To Save Money

It’s amazing how God brings people and communities closer in times of tragedy. I’m praying for the family and for all of you in the community – may God be with you!Lisa recently posted…Starting Over, Again

Praying for her family. During times of struggle the church is a huge help, as you said. I also find myself taking solace in the knowledge that someday Jesus will return and all will be made well. When I hear these stories I long for that more than anything else. Thanks for sharing, it is always nice to be reminded how to help the grieving.Janeen recently posted…How does Redbox work? 7 ways to save big on movies

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